Aberrant: Children of Quantum Fire - [Chapter 6.1] Rising Tide

[SalmonMax]

Alex shook her head. "The pieces are far from in stasis, and believe it or not there IS an endgame to this. This is all playing out pretty well up to this point, but it depends on the rift between the extreme factions conducting the hunts, and the baseline population at large. The biggest advantage we have is that the hunters have to move in secret. Their existence would be intolerable to society at large."

"But if novas everywhere suddenly started having super-powered children, a sizeable percentage of which are dangerous, then we lose that. The hunters become defenders of humanity. The final barrier vanishes, and the only factions that continue to matter are Baseline versus Nova. War is all but inevitable in that situation."

Her eyes flicked from one person to another in turn. "I'm asking you to trust me. And for more time."

[Karren Gaunt]

Coming after Kamiko's fire and Butch's quiet rumbling, Cora's chuckle as she touched down was almost understated, a fluid mirth of relieved tension now that she was at last in the thick of it. She could do this. The metamorph smiled as she spoke. It was not a nice smile per say, the smile of a tactician.

"I'm sorry, Alex, but we don't have that time. And if there's one thing training with not one but two Masters of Qi Meng has taught me, it's that the best time to use your opponent's force against him is when he's throwing a punch at your head. Aeon is trying to destroy the Nova homeland King Einherjar has created. Their assets are in play. A sweep against their legs now like giving Novakind back a future without a target for Aeon to hit back against? It could knock them on their back, make them make a mistake, and in that mistake... We find an opening to do more good in the near future. Now is exactly the time to do just this kind of meaningful gesture."

The smile died, Cora intoning more grimly, "Unless you have something very concrete to add aside from baseline humanity being a bunch of cruel, reactionary animals. I refuse to believe that. Mentally? I'm no better than a baseline myself in a few very important ways, and I can't believe that's all we are."

[SalmonMax]

"Cora, it's actions like what you're suggesting that reduce the amount of time we have," Alex pointed out dryly. "I get you want to help, but what you're doing will have the opposite result that you intend. For one, you're misreading the attack on the Congo. It's not Aeon committing its resources. It's a feint. That's why they're acting through proxies. The whole thing is completely deniable, and is costing them very little for a very large return. Their real hope with it is not to conquer the Congo. Angola, even with nova support, has no hope of accomplishing that."

"Their hope is to draw us out. And you're giving them exactly what they want on a silver platter. If you do this, you will be legitimizing their crusade in the eyes of the world. They will be able to spin this, and come out of the shadows. And then you will see just how good we all have it right now."

[Maia]

Maia shook her head. "I'm with Alex here. She has a point, a very valid one. Think how powerful each of us is. What if suddenly in however many months, or years the world was essentially flooded with novas of our power level. How many will have the scruples we've shown?"

"I know they're hunting us, killing novas right now, but we can't legitimize them with this action. They would become the heroes protecting humanity from the terrifying power of subsequent generations of novas. I do not want that."

She looked to Alex and nodded.

[Sailor OOC]

Kamiko is swayed.

"Per... Perhaps I didn't see it that way."

That would be a nightmare... what if instead of 10 or 30 trogs what if all of a sudden there were thousands... tens of thousands?

"This... this is starting to sound wreckless. We want to stop the sterilizations... we should double our efforts there. Stop the sterilizations, and stop Proteus once and for all. We can work on reversing the sterilizations in due time. We have the means to heal the damage done, but we should to that one when the mother hunters answer for their crimes and Proteus and Aeon hang from a Gibbet."

She sighs. "We've walked into dangerous ground Cora... By thinking this. We're already playing god hunting Trogs. How far did that taint our purpose? Now we want to cause this? Which bridge is one bridge too far?"

[Butch_Cole]

"Y'all are a bunch of goddamn cowards," Butch snorted, mostly in frustration. "We're gonna be left behind. You know that, right? You know who's gonna be the one on top of the ash-heap? People like Darrik. Yeah, him. Made a black sun rise a few months ago. Remember that? Scared the whole fucking world. For what purpose? To prove that he could do it. And he said 'fuck the consequences.' And what did they do about it? The square root of sweet fuck all! Not a goddamn thing. Guess what? Darrik and all those terats he's thrown in with now, they're the ones who are gonna be having kids. Darrik's gonna be a daddy soon. Who knows how powerful his kids are gonna be? Their daddy raises a black sun and doesn't care a fiddler's fart about how the world reacts. Now picture that guy raising children. What won't they do? And he's probably one of the tamer ones. God almighty. Fine, right now you keep some of the hideously deformed and deranged nova kids from being born. But what about all the good ones that won't exist? What about all the ones who'll be raised right and good and honorable and will fight against the scum, the filth, the horrors of the world. The ones who'll work to make a better world for everyone baseline, nova, whatever. Right now they ain't even a twinkle in their momma or daddy's eye. The good 2nd and 3rd and beyond generation novas of the future need to start getting born. Soon."

He took a deep breath. "Y'all are a frustrating bunch."

He held his hands out in front of him, indicating a short pause.

"What's your timeframe, Alex? Tell me it's gonna come to fruition before all those terats out there that have the jump on the rest of the world are gonna unleash their kids on the world. Kids by the way who aren't gonna give a rat's hairy testicle for baseline humanity when push comes to shove, let's be honest. I know you're the smart one, so forgive my requesting you come down from your intellectual perch high above us mere slightly-more-intelligent-than-the-masses folk here. Say we don't move right now. What needs to happen for your Great-and-Wonderful-Brilliant-Plan to happen? Frankly, you've never told us what your big plan is to begin with. Enlighten us."

He looked over at Maia, narrowed his eyes, and shook his head slightly. Clearly this wasn't the same girl who less than a year ago went and irresponsibly turned her boyfriend into a nova without a care for the consequences. There were plenty of things Butch wanted to say to her, but they could wait.

Right now, he wanted to get his brilliant sister Alex to communicate with the family, something she...well...downright sucked at. Perils of all that brain power, Butch guessed. Spend all that time in your own head and why bother to communicate with anyone else. How could they compare with that super smart voice inside?

He continued, "Lay out your plan for us, Alex. Don't just go runnin' off back to your lab. Before we kill one idea, I think everyone wants to hear the alternative."

[Sunstar]

"Might I make a suggestion?"

Marina finally spoke up.

"You all raise valid points. Maia, Alex. You're right because if suddenly every tom, dick and skeletor can breed, the baselines are not gonna sit by. They'll react and we'll play right into Proteus' hands."

She faces Butch.

"But Butch has a point as well. We can't just do nothing. Even with out this...People like Darrik and his Terat buddies running around will still get to have kids. Ones who probably will be more crazy than ma and pa."

She takes a deep breath.

"So what I'm proposing is, we release the cure. Small and slowly. That way we can keep issues for occurring thanks to Aeon and the Baselines and novas will still be able to have kids."

[Karren Gaunt]

"One," Coraline began evenly, singling out Alex, "Even if this is a feint to draw us out with no other plots in motion, doing this in secret and not taking credit for the deed is the oppisite of falling for it. It's moving to counter their trap with our own, eyes wide open, ready for the consequences. A push to their pull."

"Two," she continued, gaze shifting to Maia, "Even we needed a few years to come to earth shaking power, and if Motherhunting doesn't stop tommorow, the children who already exist in fear for their lives, the ones we haven't found yet, might apothesize in pain and fear and anger. We're only among the oldest by a few years. Next month could see a Hunter awaken something terrible, and we have your crisis happen anyway. No one sane is going to look at a baby nova and see a threat. A future asset to be molded to some. A miracle to others. A human being in the gaze of all too few... But not a threat."

"Three," she added more gently with a sidelong glance to Kamiko, "I've seen the kind of taint in a trog. The overwhelming majority of Novas, 99% of them in fact? Nowhere near that level of affliction. They're just people, able to get along without hurting others. They deserve the option that was taken away from them, the hope of love and families outside of the Teragen's Nursery or waiting for the next hammer to fall. That's not playing god, that's a mission of mercy."

She looked to Marina last, "Four, this isn't something we can do stepwise. Butch's gift is an all or nothing solution, a quantum shockwave the same as N-Day. Eiether we try and move forward, or we don't and pray it all works on it's own. Are you prepared to take that risk? Are all of you?"

[Sailor OOC]

Kamiko steeples her fingers, the lighting of the room glinting from her glasses, hiding her eyes.

"As long as we are aware of the consequences of our actions, Cora. I... I am fertile myself... I had a period a little bit after my Apotheosis. I can control this, and I have it suppressed currently. I don't want them to find out... If everyone is fertile... I wouldn't have to live in fear that my nature would mark me for death."

"But doing this would make us just like Proteus, Cora... It's time to turn this covert war overt. It's time to slay the dragon. We can do it. They expect a battle on their terms. In the shadows. Time to drag them out into the light. Kicking and screaming as they burn in the light of truth."

"I may be one for peace but with Proteus there is no negotiation. The only sanction for their machine is dissembly and disposal."

She slams her hands on the table. "We're better than this, we're playing right into their hands if we do this!"

[Quantum Fire]

"Before you folks more forward on this.. have you considered the full repercussions of what could happen, before choosing to change the world in a manner that total redirects history?" Shen spoke up, not having been there a moment before.

"Baseline humans have other genetic directions to go then just nova's, making every nova fertile will total change that, the future of homo sapiens will end, and within 2 generations everyone will be a nova, at least 3 alternate evolutionary destiny's of humanity completely erased... is that really what you want, or should be doing?" Shen moved though the room as he looked to everyone there.

"Nova's being infertile is a aberration in it's own right, it isn't the nature state of things sure, but it is shaping the destiny of several species at this point, I think, perhaps, I should put you folks in touch with Anteaus if you really plan to do this, he has some thoughts that might be useful."

[Sailor OOC]

Kamiko quickly gets up, steps away from Shen and calls forth a tower shield, stepping in front of Cora, interceding between Cora and the unknown man.

"I don't know who you are... But please for those here introduce yourself... And would you have at least announced yourself before appearing."

She looks at the unknown man. Not recognizing him. She knows if he was a threat this sub would have been breached long ago. But it is better to be cautious.

[SalmonMax]

Alexandra seemed genuinely taken aback by Butch's vitriol, but Shen's appearance delayed whatever response she'd been waiting for an opening to deliver.

"I didn't realize that you really thought we were losing all this time," she murmured. "It always seemed so clear to me that we were winning. I just assumed."

She took a breath and waved a hand at the table. There was a patter of briefly-lived falling leaves, replaced almost instantly with a map of the Earth drawn onto a kind of chessboard.

"The plan is what it's always been. Do battle on all fronts. Maximize our strengths, and their weakness. The Congo is an act of desperation on their part. It gives us several opportunities to press the offense. But the real fight is in the arena of the public debate. It always has been. Our objective is, after all, to achieve a lasting and mutually beneficial relationship between nova and baseline." Alex nodded at Cora. "You've been fighting to limit the damage the hunters do in the interim...which is good. But defeating the forces that drive the hunters depends on two things...knowing who they are and what they're doing; and being able to credibly supply that information to the rest of the world. Knowledge and dissemination. Those are the weapons we must use to win. Anything else...the Congo...fighting the hunters baby by baby...those are just holding actions to protect what's ours in the meantime."

"But they've finally, FINALLY overplayed their hand with the attack on the Congo. While Ein defends his people, we have a chance to discover in Angola evidence of the payments and discussions that led to their attack. We add those weapons to those we already have. Which includes information liberated from the hunter base we took out. Footage from Cora's hunts. Data I've been collecting from my spies and satellites. Information given by sympathetic groups like the Aberrants, GNS and others."

"When we have the final keys, the names and dates and places that can be independently verified and a globally trusted mouthpiece to make the case, we strike the final blow. In short, the baselines themselves will be the ones to finally slam the door on the organizations responsible. Deprived of resources, they either become harmless, or criminal. And no one will mind us mopping up a few criminals. More importantly, we will have proved the hunters wrong in the eyes of the world. Their claims of protecting humanity will ring false...because we came to humanity for protection. This, combined with developments like taint therapy and some other things in the pipe, will demonstrate that novakind earnestly wishes to co-exist and is taking steps to address its own flaws. This will create pressure for baselines to follow suit...that, and the collective guilt over what was done to us."

She banished the gameboard with another wave of her hand.

"We're not 'behind' the Teragen, or the hunters. We're actually doing quite well. You have to understand that the 'outlaw' status of the Teragen acts as a considerable buffer between them and public opinion right now. People expect them to misbehave, so it doesn't shock them when they do. What will be most important about the Teragen is how other novas react. If we try to rein them in, then the damage they cause is minimized. If we start seeing this as some kind of 'race to have more babies first,' then baselines will decide...rightly...that novas are ALL the threat that only the Teragen alone used to be. Right now, we have the advantage in that baselines read a difference between the terms 'Teragen' and 'novakind.' If that difference EVER vanishes...we've lost. We distinguish ourselves not by what THEY do, but by what WE do. Adopt the tactics of the enemy, and we may as well invest in bomb shelters right now."

[Sailor OOC]

Alex's blase response to Shen's sudden arrival causes Kamiko to lower her guard. She brings her paper back to her hand.

"So... you guys know this man?"

Then in the process, she also disseminated Alex's diatribe.

"We should focus on EXACTLY that, Cora." Kamiko says, clapping her hand. "We got them. They've gone all in but we have the flush. They just got a pair of deuces."

She adjusts her glasses. "Save your fertility plan for when we can give it... publicly... we can fix who was harmed but right now lets fight for a world our children can live in. Peacefully."

"Cora... I'm only saying this because I believe you're about to make the biggest mistake of your life if you go through with this."

She has genuine concern in her voice. And if Cora doesn't budge, Kamiko doesn't know where to go next...

[SalmonMax]

Alex smiled and added, "Sorry, Kamiko. Yes, this is Shen. He's one of us. If you think of us as siblings, then he's our father. Shen, this is Kamiko...a friend involved with GSN and Nippontai."

[Sailor OOC]

"You mean... Uncle Shen..."

Kamiko had last seen him only briefly... after Kyoko, her mother, was killed. "Shen?"

She walks over to him... and hugs him... crying a little. "I didn't know... I never thought I should ask..."

"Thank you for being there..."

She turns back to Cora. "What are your thoughts?"

[Sunstar]

"Heya Uncle Shen!"

Marina faces Kamiko. Then looks at Cora.

"Gonna have to side with Kamiko and Alex on this one, Cora. We need to remove all the obstacles and variables for something this huge. Otherwise we could accidently tear down all the good we've done in the span of five minutes because think this will work right now. Not saying to scrap the idea. Just preparations need to be made first."

[Karren Gaunt]

In that moment, Coraline could have hated Uncle Shen for making her love him too much to scream her frustration at him. He said he was giving them a choice, but here he was, appearing in precisely the wrong moment to turn the tide of the debate against her and finish it in one fell comment. Baselines would only go extinct if they were evil enough and stupid enough to reject novakind's right to exist. And Alex's plan would take too long to avert his prophecy. He was setting himself up to die. And short of her first plan to knock him out and stuff him in one of Alex's stasis pods, there was nothing she could do to stop it. No way she could save him without waiting and praying and clinging to him every second for the next three months. And she did not have that kind of time on her hands. None of them understood. None of them cared enough to risk the extraordinary to save him. Well, all but Butch anyway, but he was her rock.

And she could read the room well enough to know that speaking her feelings here and now would be worse than useless.

"Fine," she relented, chorus of voices dangerously controlled, compressed to a single voice without a hint of dopplering, "So be it. I came up with my best idea and it isn't good enough. I'll be in my room if any of you want me for something urgent. Otherwise, don't follow me. I hope you enjoy the rest of your tour of the Primus, Kamiko."

The metamorph spun on her heel in thin air, vanishing out the door and down the hall in a flutter of hair and fabric.

[Sailor OOC]

Kamiko was stunned...

"Well... I think she took that very hard... She's taken too much on herself..." She adjusts her uniform. "I sincerely hope that this isn't turning into something worse for her."

"Alex, give me in your most secure format the information you have in regards to this situation as you see it. Shen... I would appreciate your wisdom in this endeavor... My Biological father, Dan, speaks highly of you. Marina... I have a Gift..."

She smiles as she sets her backpack on the table and pulls out a decent-sized package wrapped in a white cloth. "As a friend... someone I can trust and as a person who I can rely on. Someone who has shown tremendous potential... I hereby give you the honorary commission of Lieutenant Commander of the Hikari Maru A. This is your uniform. Your duty would be Terrestrial Nautical Search and Rescue."

She turns to Alex. "And I need a Chief Engineer... I'd also like to get Cora in on this as Chief of Security... she would be indeed a good fit..."

She opens the uniform up for Marina. "It'll adapt to your figure. I made a similar uniform for Cora and for Alex."

She sighed. "I've just got to find a good first officer."

She stretches out, waiting to see Marina's response.

And... I really still don't want to lose Cora as a friend... particularly in these times.

[Maia]

"Of course we know him, he's my godfather and Uncle, and has raises most of us for a large portion of our lives, over a decade for Marina, Warren, and I."

Cora's retreat annoyed her. "Dammit Coraline." It was a fearsome thing to see the moment of anger pass over her perfect features, then resignation. "She left training early, and has worked so hard."

She looked to Alex. "I have a question for you. How do we get this information you need from Angola. Marina and I are far too public of figures, but I know we can send someone in to gather what we need When we have the smoking gun." She nodded. "I know we can always count on your support to benefit novakind Alex."

She looked to Shen, and shook her head. "I know you meant to prepare us, but Uncle, everything she's doing she does to keep your prediction from coming true. The fact she's almost invisible to metasenses makes it impossible to see what effect her actions will have, and even the effects of her agenda are hard to see." She looked down. She didn't blame him but she did feel he might have taken into account Cora's history before relaying such a prediction. Her actions since then were perfectly in line with how she'd behaved all the time Maia'd known her.

"I don't see her abandonoing us, I'll go talk to her later. I just thing she expected more of us other than Butch to side with her on this. I agree the fertility issue needs redressing, but not wholesale. The repreccussions are something I don't think have been truly considered at all, and regardless of what other things may be going on, we cannot do something like that without a real plan. We should not do such a thing."

[Sailor OOC]

"I hope you don't mind if I accompany you, Maia... If there is anything I can do other than speaking with fire is speaking with just as calm a demeanor."

Kamiko honestly looks like she's right. The passion and fire that she had at the table has drawn inward and helped her gain momentum like she feeds off the energy it creates.

"Trust me, I'm just there for advice. Nothing more."

[SalmonMax]

Alexandra gave Shen a look. "Would you talk to her? She doesn't understand what you told her, and it's eating her alive. It's cruel to leave her hanging like this...and she's getting more irrational and more dangerous because of it."

Then to Maia she replied, "As for the Congo conflict, I believe the Angola government is the weak link. Aeon and Proteus have between them over a century of experience keeping themselves out of sight, but Angola's rulers are impulsive and arrogant. When they realize they're just patsies, being used by their shadowy 'supporters' to get Ein, Morri and us into vulnerable positions where we can be struck at within the fog of war, I think they'll start looking for a way out."

"I'm focusing available intel resources in that area. The birds and bees, satellite overflight...HUMINT, SIGINT and opnet resources too. Proteus is too good to leave tangible records, but Angolese officials aren't...and wouldn't care anyway. I'm sure Proteus has 'sanitation' standing ready, so my first priority is locating those assets, both physical and opnet, and moving to neutralize them. I plan on working with Ein on this...and of course, anyone else here who's interested would be welcome."

[Sailor OOC]

"Speaking of the Congo..." Kamiko says, adjusting her outfit. "The Congalese Dragon's Den has me as their Escape Option... If they need to evacuate, I am their escape pod. I mentioned the Bibliotheca Sacra prior... that is my initial escape point until the Japan branch can figure out where to send them."

"Thing is... I cannot go alone. I need a support team. Cora is very important in my rescue and escape plan. As well as Dan Hawkins, and Marina... The Congo is one of my alternate escape routes and Marina has... a way with water."

"Maia... I know I hardly know you, and Shen even less... but in all honesty... I need all the help I can get to make sure all of us and those I rescue make it out safely."

"But we should talk with Cora first. That is a dire priority."

[Maia]

"Of course I'll held defend my father's kingdom." She looked at Alex. "The downside to my involvement is that there's no mistaking me for anyone else really. I would draw serious attention wherever I go. Perhaps, if it can be arranged I could go in on humanitarian missions to aid areas affected by the conflict. It serves the dual purpose of generating positive public opinion, and giving Proteus a major distraction, and target they've already missed, waving a red flag in front of them, if you will."

"She looked to Kamiko. "I'm commited to heling safeguard other second generation novas Kamiko, I'll help as I'm able. As far as Cora, the only one of us who can help her is Cora herself, and.." She looked to Shen. "I agree that you shoulspeak with her. This is why she didn't finish the training Uncle, but of course you've known that."

Her last words were the ones she knew would have the most effect. "Your daughter truly needs your honest counsel, before she does something she may one day regret, something she cannot undo."

[Sailor OOC]

"Not to mention the public exposure I have as the youngest to go to the farthest exo-solar world. I was in a documentary, you know."

"And talk shows... and speaking engagements... I'm damn well bloody respected in my circles as a humanitarian."

"With two flags we could sent semaphores! "Proteus! YOU MISSED! STOP!" and such." She giggles.

"Let's go, we shouldn't keep Cora waiting."

[Maia]

"I don't think any of us, aside from Uncle should go Kamiko. Cora does NOT want to see us right now."

[Sunstar]

"Agreed. Let Uncle Shen talk to her. Cora will just get more pissed off if we talk to her."

She clutches the uniform.

"And thanks Kamiko. Although I'm gonna have to come up with a better title than that."

She said with a playful smirk, obviously trying to ease the mood.

[Karren Gaunt]

Multifaceted awareness subconsiusly tracking the conversation even as she retreated, Coraline's dark features flushed even darker at how quickly the conversation turned to her 'irrationality'. She forced that part of her mind away to the faint vibrations of the engines as she buzzed through the corridors, no frills turns and level flight so unlike her normal joyous toying with flips and spirals through so confined a space.

The metamorph braked to a halt in front of her door, perceptions spliting and spliting again as four Familars birth into existence with a gesture, burbling and molding into snow-white spiders the size of small dogs, 'drying' into stability with fine coats of soft fur and four pairs of white-on-black eyes. They chittered and danced in place as their creator tested their spontaneusly-sculpted biology, judged it good, and stepped into her room with a frown on her lips. And then they skittered off in pairs up along the walls to take watch over the corridor and deter intruders, dancing on invisible quantum strings. Coraline had a lump of Martian clay that she had been saving for a special project, and Node damn her, today was the day for that project, something angry and true and meaningful on *some* level.

Homunculous times four, giving them dex 5, str 5, wits 5, and ap 5.

[Sailor OOC]

Kamiko smiled... "Oh don't worry about it, Umi-Chan... I like that Nickname for you, Marina... Umi-chan... we'll hammer the kinks out at some point."

"I think that things will get better somehow... sometime. We have to remember what it is that we are striving for... what we are fighting for... what some have died for. That is to make a better world for our children. We should... no... we must remember that the world we create is what we will raise our successors in eventually. I personally... would like to see the world better than when we arrived on the scene."

"We are so close to our goal... Cora can have her dream, but only when we are sure the children that come will have a safe world to be raised in and grow in."

Kamiko's brain danced. She knew her next words would drive her point home. "I would rather raise my daughter in the open... on Earth. Not on the Bibliotheca Sacra... or further than that."

"And I suppose you wonder why I would rather stay on Earth than go to a new world... It's the books."

[Butch_Cole]

Where to begin...

"Uncle Shen," Butch said, deadly serious. "If you deign to talk with Cora, make some goddamn sense for once. No cryptic bullshit. Just straight talk. Girl's pushed herself and pushed herself after you so casually let us know that you're time's running out."

He sighed. "This has been bugging me for a long time, Unc, and I want to get it off my chest now. I'd rather get it out of the way so that the little time we have left with you can be a bit more enjoyable instead of having stuff festering. Seriously, what were you thinking when you told us you were gonna die? Forget for a minute about your knowing the future, but come on, you raised us. Didn't you realize we'd try to do everything in our power to save you? I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt here. You know things about the future. If you've accepted your death, well, I'm sure you've thought it all through and this is the outcome you think is the best. But just keep it to your damn self! For God's sake!"

Butch stood up from the table, shaking his head. He leaned forward on the conference table at this seat. "Whether you mean it or not, Alex is right on this. It's just damn cruel."

He stood up straight. "Y'all know I'm all about this family. I support Cora just as I support all of y'all."

He looked directly at Alex. "You say you're close? You say Angola's the key? They've FINALLY overplayed their hand? If y'all are so deadset against Cora's plan, then we're all in on Alex's plan."

Then, he pointed at his brilliant sister. "But now I consider you on the clock. If nothing comes of this, then I just don't believe it'll ever come. You find your assets and work them. You find your smoking gun and your, what was it, your mouthpiece to present it all to the world. You do all that and we assume your faith in humanity isn't misplaced. That they'll believe it all and stand by us. And what else was it? Feel sorry for us? You do all that and then we return to this plan one way or another."

After a moment, Butch made his way to the door, adding, "Alex, you let me know what you need me to do and I'll do it. I'll be your weapon. You just point and fire so to speak. If need be, I can call in plenty of chits with the Aberrants thanks to Mindwave and the information sharing program we've been running the past few months. Uncle Shen, you put me in touch with Antaeus when you get a chance. I might as well develop my powers in the meanwhile and who better to learn from than him."

In the doorway now, he finished, "And none of y'all go anywhere near Cora for at least a day. I'm on my way there now since I'm probably the only one she'll talk to right now. Next up is you, Uncle Shen. Anyone else steer clear for now. You dig?"

The ship was quiet other than the hum from the engines. As Butch made his way down the halls, he tried to come up with something great to say to Cora. What would he begin with? What did she need to hear right now?

In the corridor outside of Cora's room, Butch sensed the spider-things watching all approaches to the door. Cora really didn't want to be bothered then. He knocked on the door.

"Cora? It's me. Butch. No one else."

He heard the door unlock. When it opened, Cora was standing there, not saying anything. Butch still had no idea what to say.

Instead of talking, he just stepped forward, and gave his sister a big hug.

[Sailor OOC]

Butch's brash behavior then leaving actually put Kamiko off a bit...

"I thought... Shen... Cora..."

She stood frozen for a moment. "Shen... You mentioned something that you know the circumstances of your death. If that is the case then Causality would dictate that while it could happen, it may not. If indeed your fate is to die, perhaps instead of just trying to prevent it we should also see what we can do to find the why of the matter."

"Sometimes a prophesy is a warning to the future rather than a sentence."

She stands before Shen. "I regret I've never had the chance to get to know you better, Shen... But if you are my True father's Sensei, then... perhaps I know you a little bit..."

She sighs... "Over the past 6 or 7 months I have been through enough for several lifetimes, seen new worlds, done things I thought I wouldn't do. I walked on bloody Mars for crying out loud... yet... I feel my responsibility is to my friends, this planet... and all who walk upon it... Doing everything that I have done... only made me realize this more."

"Shen... I wish to call you a friend too... If the moments we have are fleeting... then at least let us have the moments remaining be remembered?" She says, holding out her hand to Shen. "Kamiko Aino... Very few know what my real family name is... Only Dan, Perhaps you, Shen, and Mary Masters... Now... so does everyone still in this room. Pleased to meet you."

[SalmonMax]

Alexandra absorbed Butch's words stoically, her face a mask. She didn't reply though, nor say anything when he was gone.

Finally she stood up. "Well...looks like I have things to do. Anything else before I leave? Anyone want to set fire to the atmosphere, or release some grey goo or something? More my schtick, I guess."

[Maia]

Maia sat there sighing inwardly. It was like all the other times. At least now Cora couldn't tease Pip about her episode. "NOt right now, no, Alex, though if you are going to be available later< I want to talk to you about some things." She smiled. "Nothing bad, I just haven't gotten to see you much since my return."

[Sailor OOC]

"Actually Alex... I got a question... what is in those Missile Tubes that we have?"

She adjusts her uniform. "I was wondering what sort of defensive and offensive capabilities we have on board."

"If this Librarian must go to war... she must ask questions before... not after."

[Sunstar]

"Well I might try to turn Australia into a new Atlantis, Alex."

She giggles.

"I'm kidding everyone."

[SalmonMax]

Marina succeeded in getting Alex to crack a smile and she nodded at Maia. "I'd like that too. I've got some things to pack up in the lab, then I'll be heading to the Congo. You can come with if you want."

"As for what Primus is packing...the missile tubes open into the workshop. I'm using them as rocket launchers for space-bound payloads. Its armament are these..."

She held up her hand with thumb and forefinger held about an inch apart, and between them flared to existance a small metal tube with a round-tipped conical end and a sort of old-fashioned Coke bottle-style narrowing in its midsection.

"To scale, of course. Supercavitating torpedos armed with one of several types of warhead. EMP to disable enemy submersibles without causing hull breaches. Sabot for targeting specific areas of an enemy without explosions or overpressure. And of course, everyone's favorite; high explosive using my own special blend, to just rip stuff up. Thinking of adding a flat-charge variant that's specifically designed to create a massive pressure wave from a point of detonation, but I need to run some trials before I add it officially. Torpedoes use a reservoir of oxygenated liquid fuel, so they can fly in the air as well as water. We use laser guidence, with active radar or sonar on board the projectile if a laser solution isn't possible or is lost before impact."

[Sailor OOC]

Kamiko laughs from Marina's joke, but responds to Alex first. "Very cool."

"Umi-Chan..." Kamiko says, with a sigh. "If anything we should focus something like that on something more constructive... like condensing that power into a suppository and shoving it up Cestus Pax's colon just so he'd loosen up."

Kamiko grins. "Sorry... he's just too serious."

"But back to things, I should actually be prepared to head to the Congo at the first calling, but I shouldn't be in a known combat area. If we are splitting up, I should at least return to the Hikari Maru for a while. I can't afford to go as far as the Bibliotheca Sacra or risk not being summoned in time to save those in the Congolese Den."

She adjusts her uniform. "The Hikari Maru A currently is in orbit at Geostationary."

She hands Alex a thumb drive. "The password to unencrypt the data on that to know which frequency to hail me on my secure line is 42-2012-KAMI-2-RED. Once unencrypted you'd better memorize what you see. It self destructs the data using a multi-wipe program."

[Maia]

"Well I did invite you to visit Justin and I, of course i'll go Alex. Cor won't want to see me for awhile."

At Kami's statement Maia outright laughed. "He's pretty bad off isn't he? and jealous of Glory too I imagine."

[Karren Gaunt]

In the corridor outside of Cora's room, Butch sensed the spider-things watching all approaches to the door. Cora really didn't want to be bothered then. He knocked on the door.

"Cora? It's me. Butch. No one else."

He heard the door unlock. When it opened, Cora was standing there, not saying anything. Butch still had no idea what to say.

Instead of talking, he just stepped forward, and gave his sister a big hug.

Butch got his hug returned, the metamorph exhaling into his chest and voice a badly dopplered whisper of confession, "If it had been anyone but you passing under my Familars, they would have had to deal with face-grappling spiders while I slipped out the back. I... That did not go the way I hoped it would. At all. I put a lot of planning into that idea, and for all of them to, for *Uncle Shen* to, reject it so utterly out of fear of what could go wrong in a worst case scenario... Node damn them. It could work in the time we have left, it really could. If we just worked together we could save him and so many others. Alex's plan will just drive Aeon underground until they pop up with another sacrifical monster."

She sucked in a breath, steadying her thoughts against his heartbeat, stepping back to give him room to enter the organize clutter of her bedroom, closing and locking the door. A four inch by eight inch by four inch block of rich, red clay sat on Coraline's desk, the suggestion of *something* starting to emerge from the formally stark geometric perfection, flakes of clay gathering in a pile to one side with her tools. "I miss anything important by storming off?" the metamorph offered more calmly, a thank you implicit in her new-born smile, "I just couldn't let myself throw a Pip and explode right there at them."

[Sailor OOC]

Kamiko sighs. "You know... To hell with it, if you're going to the Congo, Alex, I'm coming along if Marina is coming. That suit I was wearing when I arrived is armored. It's a miracle what you can do with spider silk and synthetic polymers these days."

"Just let me get changed and remove the markings on the suit, then I can open a warp to where you plan on going." She smiled. "I can get where I need to be in a minute's time... I can be anywhere on this planet without effort. What's so wrong with checking up on what's important to me."

[Sunstar]

"Count me in as well then, Alex. Just let me switch into something more comfortable."

She looks over at Kamiko.

"As long as you can warp us out undetected Kamiko, by all means, Go Ahead."

It's clear Marina's beginning to really trust Kamiko as a friend.